Work bench smack down

Great forum topic and very timely since I've been thinking of making a proper bench. I hope this thread flourishes. These are some beautiful benches!

Tech, at first glance, I thought that was a kitchen island because of the fridge in the background!

Rick, I'm with you, which is why my bench is not a split top.

LJ61673, those links need some editing so they work.

Thanks for the comments Rick!

LJ, that's absolutely beautiful! I love shaker workbenches and it seems that you have nailed this one! Great work.

Wow, this thread is really picking up! Great post, higtron. I love those inlays.

Rick, we were all talking about bench stuff on the planes thread and Andy and I remembered this thread, so we made a conscious effort to revive it. I'm glad we did!

Sweet, you could use the leg vise to hold the tv up. Keep the dvd player from shifting around by locking in place with bench dogs. I see where this is going.

I don't think it'd be uncool, but how would you go about doing it so that it looks genuine? Just curious.

I just went to Tandy leather and picked up a piece of belly(?) scrap for ten bucks. I originally bought it for making strops, but I had some left over. So far the ten dollars has gone to two strops, one leather vise jaw, one to a friend for a strop, and I still have a little left over. Plus the smaller scraps work well for a final smoothing of turnings on the lathe. The Tandy is about a mile from my house, so it might not be worth it to you Mauricio. But if you do go to Tandy, you'll be in my neck of the woods, so let me know.

I think this is what I got: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/Leather/Tooling-Shoulders-Bends-Bellies/9080-315.aspx

I'm sure almost any type of leather, as long as it's thicker than 1/8", should work fine.

My bench height is 33 3/4" and I'm 6' 1". I also have an outfeed table that is a few inches taller, that comes in handy when I want a slightly taller bench.

If I were more into power tools, I would have chosen a higher bench like Rick.

The planing stop. That's another thing I considered adding to my bench but ultimately never got around to. Still possible along with the crochet.

And you can cut a hole in your floor when you need your bench to be taller for sawing! ;-)

I remember that link the first time Andy posted it. All such beautiful benchwork. You can take any twelve photos out of that gallery and create one awesome calendar.

Mauricio, Are you talking about a veneer screw? That would work well for a wagon vise and be pretty cheap.

Great videos, by the way!

Yup, you're right, I think mine was around that price. Plus it'd look better on a workbench than a veneer screw.

That's a nice bench, Randy! Have you posted it here on LJ before?

How's that plane till coming along? I want to see pictures!

Good luck, Mauricio! Take plenty of pics. (Nothing like some late night woodworking!)

Scott, I want the same thing! I've done a few logos, but nothing I'm really i love with. Also thought about coming up with a name--perhaps something latin or greek related. Getting a branding iron. Now we're talking.

You might also try using a card scraper instead of sandpaper for the initial clean-up.